Can Josh Allen Overcome Madden Cover Curse? Bills QB Shares His Thoughts

While being named the Madden 24 cover athlete is a big honor for Josh Allen, could it backfire on the Buffalo Bills quarterback?

When it was revealed that Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen would grace the cover of Madden 24, he was understandably excited. After all, being named the cover athlete for one of the most iconic franchises in video game history is a big deal. 

However, being on the cover of Madden is not always a good thing, depending on you ask. To some, it is actually a bad omen due to the infamous Madden curse that has plagued its cover athletes over the years.

But what does Allen think?

“You can say maybe the Bills have been cursed," he said Thursday at the Madden launch event. "So maybe this is a double curse reversal. That’s the way I’m looking at it.”

What is the Madden curse, you might ask? Well, when a player is on that year's edition of the game, they are then cursed to have a bad season. From injuries to poor performance, being on the game has seemingly become a sign of bad things to come the following season. 

Despite that, though, the curse has not made any noticeable appearances in recent years. Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes made an appearance on Madden 22, and led their respective team's to a Super Bowl matchup. One year prior, Lamar Jackson was on Madden 21 and had a fine year. 

“I think the Madden curse has been broken over the last couple of years, whether it was with Tom or Pat,” Allen said.

In fact, the last athlete to seemingly be impacted by the curse was New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski all the way back in Madden 17. That season he dealt with a handful of injuries, ultimately forced to sit on the sidelines during the Super Bowl. 

So, how does all of this impact Allen? Well, to put it rather simply, it likely doesn't. Knock on wood, of course, but the superstar quarterback has shown he is a perennial MVP candidate. 

Even then, it is an interesting topic to look at, especially with the rise in prominence of Madden over the years - but if recent years are any indication, Allen and the Bills could instead be in store for a big season. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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